SYDNEY SLUMS

Press, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 26515, 1 September 1951, Page 2

SYDNEY SLUMS

CHURCH OWNERSHIP ALLEGED

(JfJS. Press Association—Copprlpht) SYDNEY, August 27. The New South Wales Chief Secretary (Mr Clive Evatt) said that some churches owned the worst slums in Sydney and should attend to grave social problems. He was speaking from the pulpit of a city Methodist church last night on the subject “What Shall We Do With Sunday?" The Rev. S. W. McKibbin followed him, giving the church’s view. Mr Evatt, who was interrupted at times by hostile interjections from the congregation, said that Sunday films were not irreligious, immoral nor in conflict with any divine teaching. “If organised religion wants to make an attack on fllmdom and cinemas, 1 will join in an attack on the type of film shown at Saturday afternoon matinees with their sex, crime, horror, and pornography,” said Mr Evatt. “We could start a real crusade there instead of having this spurious crusade against giving people good, clean, cultural, and saintly films. Let the Church amend ijs attitude to the grave social problems of the day, and make for the fulfilment of Christ’s teachings Instead of voicing strong protest? against Sunday pictures, the churches should be working for increases in the miserable pittances given old-age pensioners.

“Infant mortality in the Sydney slums is 64 in 1000, and yet the churches talk about films on Sunday. It is just a smoke-screen. There are 40,000 sub-standard homes covering 10,000 acres. Some of our churches own the worst slums in Sydney. Why is it that seven churches in the' slum area near the Redfern railway station are closed? One is now a produce store and another a carpenter’s factory.” “There is no commandment in the Bible that says: ‘Thou shalt be miserable on Sunday.’ Jesus laid down no cast iron laws for Sunday observance. When I was Minister of Education I found that the real curse in the community was an idle and stagnant Sunday. That is when Satan finds his mischief for idle hands.” Mr McKibbin said that the Continental Sunday had brought about the moral degradation of European countries.

“France is an anti-clerical country and only nominally Christian," he added. “Italy has been affected, too, and if there were war, we would find Russia on their side. Jesus would not have given permission to have children taken away from the teaching of the Gospel in slum places like Erskineville, where crowds of selfish organised and commercialised football people are running Sunday games.” The discussion arose from Mr Evatt’s decision to grant licences to several theatres for the screening of selected films on Sunday. Two theatres have been operating on Sunday for several weeks and others will follow. The churches and religious bodies are uniform in condemning the move as a breach of the Sabbath.